


Holding hands

by demurely1



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Canon Related, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:47:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3363242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demurely1/pseuds/demurely1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This immediately precedes the scene on the Broadchurch beach in series 2, episode 1, when Beth and Mark meet Jocelyn by chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holding hands

**Author's Note:**

> They stood side-by-side in the soft sand, facing the awesome orange cliffs that had so dominated their lives. Behind them the thunderous surf of the outgoing tide crashed against the strand, but their attention was consumed by a small, non-descript patch of the beach just a few metres before them. Despite it having no outward marker, they both knew precisely the spot where Danny’s body had been found – Beth, because she’d seen it there that fateful morning; Mark, because he’d been brought here so many times since.

Beth’s tiny, almost childlike, hand clung onto Mark’s enormous right mitt. His fingers flexed around hers, as his thoughts wandered.

These walks together had become part of their routine over the winter months since Danny’s funeral. Every week they’d find a chance to visit some important place and pay their respects or just think about Danny.  It could be the beach, like today, or perhaps the skate park, or even his grave. They’d even tried the clifftop hut a couple of times. Mark wasn’t sure just how much the walks helped. Beth hadn’t wanted counselling – other than the occasional sessions Paul Coates could do for them – but she’d always liked to walk, so walking seemed like a self-help strategy in itself.  Even better – they did it together, they sometimes talked as they went and they’d started automatically holding hands again – just like they had in the beginning, when as teenagers they started going together.

Perhaps, he reflected, the walking was helping after all.

He glanced sharply across at her face as her grip tightened round his fingers. “Are you OK?” he gasped, bringing his left hand over to take hers reassuringly, as he looked into her eyes. She nodded, as he reached his right arm around her shoulders, pressed his lips to her forehead, and pulled her to him for the merest of hugs.

They were both careful not to overdo the mutual sympathy and concern, knowing that too much just provoked more emotion; more upset.

Mark released her hand and ran his palm gently down over her belly, creating a diversion. “How’s baby coping with the walk today?” he asked, smiling down at her. “We've not been this far for a few weeks,” he added softly.

She watched his huge hand stroking over her bump and was taken immediately back to earlier that same day.

At first light she’d awoken to find him, unusually far down the bed, curled up and fast asleep nuzzled against her side, his left arm wrapped about her hips. She was well aware that his sleep patterns had been more and more disrupted as the court hearing had approached – and now this seemed set to continue. She placed her hand carefully on his head and ran her fingers over his soft hair.

“You OK?” she whispered, as his eyes began to flicker.

“mmm,” came the reply. Mark looked up at her and wrinkled his nose as he stretched his free arm. Then, smiling, lifted himself onto the other arm and leaned over to kiss and nuzzle her belly.

Beth grinned as she remembered her own chuckles at his cold lips and how her hand gripping his hair had encouraged him lower, urging him to seek out her clit with his mouth. Then he’d worked on her slowly with his tongue until she’d come squealing aloud.

Of course, she’d repaid the compliment, teasing his smooth cock with her lips, sucking him noisily and pulling on his shaft until he groaned in climax.

Now Beth ran her own hand over the bump and left it on his. “Baby’s fine,” she smiled, squeezing his fingers, knowing exactly what he was doing. She looked up and raised her brows at him, making him lean down and kiss her on the lips. Her right hand automatically reached up to grasp the back of his head again letting her kiss him back properly.

As she pulled away, Mark smiled back down into her eyes and aimed another kiss at her nose, then looked up sharply, his attention drawn to a tall, slight figure further along the strand line. “Look!” he gasped, “Isn’t that Jocelyn Knight?”

**Author's Note:**

> 


End file.
